There Will Now Be a Beastie Boys Musical
Licensed to Ill is coming to the Camden People’s Theatre in London.
With the exception of Mamma Mia!, musicals aren’t really my cup of tea (PEOPLE DON’T SPONTANEOUSLY BREAK INTO COORDINATED SONG AND DANCE, THEY JUST DON’T), but I have to admit that even I’m intrigued by the idea of a Beastie Boys musical.
Licensed to Ill will be coming to the Camden People’s Theatre in London on November 23rd and will run to December 12th.
The show’s description reads as follows:
Join Mike D, MCA and AdRock – the Beastie Boys – as they go from teenage punk rockers to international rapping legends. Using a mix of live music and DJ-ing, we travel through time from the hiphoppers of late ’80s New York to the early ’90s gangsters of LA – all the way to the total globalisation of hiphop. This loud, crazy show — a hiphop history tour and a playful exploration of the rules of cultural appropriation —will have you laughing and gasping in equal measure. Whether you know your Ghostface Killas from your Ice Cubes or if you’ve never heard anyone rhyme to a beat in your life, you’re guaranteed a good time. Join us this Christmas and be a part of hiphop history. Not for the easily offended.
Pitchfork reached out to the creators, Simon Maeder and Adam El Hagar, for comment. Maeder wrote: “Whilst we have ensured the Beastie Boys are fully appraised of our plans for the show, this is an unauthorised production based on the Beastie Boys story.”
But will it be better than Mamma Mia!? Only time will tell.
Photos by Waring Abbott / Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images